"I don't know." Susannah shook her head. "Are you sure you got the ingredients right, James?" Gingerly, she attempted to scrape the cookie dough from her fingers. "I don't think it's supposed to be so sticky."
"Hey, it's my abuelita's famous cookie recipe. It's just the way it's meant to be." James sounded offended. "Besides, Luna loves it, don't you, sweetie?"
He gazed fondly at their three-year-old daughter who was up to her elbows in dough. The little one gave him a huge smile, then raised a finger to her mouth to taste the mixture.
"Stop!" James fond smile turned into a worried frown immediately. "Don't eat that. It will make you sick."
"Why would it?" Susannah shook her head. "Honestly, James, what's the problem?"
"My abuelita always told me not to eat the dough, because of the raw eggs." He realised his mistake the moment the words left his mouth. "Which we don't use. Sorry." He looked sheepish.
"So your grandma put actual eggs in there?" Susannah felt vaguely nauseous at the thought. "From real live chickens?"
"Yeah." James shrugged, clearly failing to see the problem. "She had a coop right behind her house. I used to feed them for her." Noticing her queasy expression, he grinned. "Squeamish spacer brat."
"Earthborn country bumpkin," Susannah fired back without missing a beat. It was an all-too familiar point of contention. "Anyway, this dough is perfectly safe. Nothing but synthetic egg mix in there."
"More's the pity." With an exaggerated sigh James turned back to their daughter who had taken advantage of their squabble to polish off several large chunks of sugary sweetness. "Enough now! Or we won't have anything left for the cookies. You do want cookies, right?"
"Yes! Lots!" Luna cranked up the smile yet another notch, and James visibly melted.
Shaking her head, Susannah smiled to herself as she tackled the dough again. James was putty in his daughter's hands, that much was sure. He adored his little girl, and there was literally nothing he wouldn't do for her. But then again, we waited long enough for her. And she's likely the only child we'll ever have. If he wanted to spoil her a little, Susannah was fine with it.
"We also need to hurry up a bit," she said aloud. "Uncle Steve will be here at five to pick you up for your sleepover."
"Oh, is that tonight?" James looked a bit disappointed. "I thought we could watch a movie together, all three of us. Something Christmassy, you know."
"Yup, it's tonight." Susannah kept her tone firm. She'd been looking forward to their monthly date night, and she wasn't going to give it up because of some quaint old Terran custom. "Besides, it's another three days until 'Christmas'". She just about resisted the temptation to add air quotes. Her parents had never celebrated the holiday, and if she was honest, she didn't get all the fuss James made about it. It wasn't as if he was particularly religious, as a rule.
"That's not the point." Giving her a wounded look, he took the dough from her hands and reached for a rolling pin. "We should all be getting into a holiday mood. Get cozy, light some candles…"
"Ooooh, yes!" Luna's dark eyes turned big as saucers. "Candles are pretty!"
"Yeah, because what we really need in this place is a fire hazard." Susannah couldn't believe her ears.
"They are pretty." James' mouth was setting into a familiar stubborn line as he started to roll out the dough, after adding a generous amount of flour. "There's nothing like candles to cheer you up, when it's all cold and dark outside."
Which would make total sense if we were on Earth, or any other place that has seasons. This time, Susannah didn't quite manage to hide her eye roll. "We're living on a station, James. And it's not actually cold and dark outside, unless you manage to get yourself dumped out of an airlock."
"So?" James grinned up at her, and she was relieved to see he wasn't mad at her. "Let me pretend a little, Lola."
He looked adorable, all covered in flour, and Luna was bouncing up and down with excitement now, eagerly reaching for the cookie cutters.
Susannah relented. "All right. But no Christmas music."
"Not even a tiny bit? Not even Rudolph?" James tilted his head to the side, and next to him, Luna wore an identical pleading expression.
"Rudolph?" She echoed her daddy. "Pleeeeease, Mommy. Pretty please!"
"All right, Rudolph it is." Sighing deeply, Susannah activated her omni-tool. "Now, let's get started on those cookies…"
Two hours later, Steve arrived, exactly on time, wincing slightly at the music still blaring from the speakers. He gathered Luna up in his arms with a wide smile. "Hey there. Did you make cookies?"
"Lots!" Luna announced proudly. "Wanna try them?"
"You can take some with you." Susannah handed him a box. "Thanks, Steve. You're an angel."
"You're very welcome." He smiled back, then turned his attention to Luna. "Now, come on. Kaidan is already waiting for us. He needs your help with decorating the tree, I believe."
Susannah flinched. "A tree? With all the trappings?"
"Yup." Steve sighed softly. "Kaidan loves Christmas. He's already making plans for a big dinner. And we've been listening to nothing but classic carols for the past three weeks.
"Trust me, I feel your pain." Susannah grimaced. "Maybe we should-"
"Esteban!" But there was James, embracing his friend and placing a tender kiss on Luna's little dark head. "You take good care of my little princess, you hear me?"
"Not a princess", Luna protested. "I'm gonna be an admiral, when I grow up."
"I'm sure you will, ma'am." Steve put Luna down and reached for her bag. "Ready?"
"Just a moment." Getting down on her knees, Susannah pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "Bye, baby. Have a nice time."
"Bye, Mommy. And thanks for the cookies." Luna hugged her back just as fiercely. "You're the best mommy in the galaxy."
"And you're the best kid in the whole universe." Susannah breathed in her scent, cinnamon and vanilla and my baby, then pulled back, swallowing briefly. "Now, off you go."
As soon as the door closed behind the two, she yanked out her omni-tool and stopped the music. "There. That's better." Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she made a face. Her braid was coming undone, and her clothes were covered in flour. "I'm a mess."
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind. "No, you aren't. You're gorgeous."
"James." Gratefully, she leaned back into his arms. "Oh yes. That feels good."
His body was warm and firm, and his mouth was hot and sweet on the bare skin of her neck, and suddenly, all her earlier irritation was forgotten.
"Hey." He pulled her even closer. "Thanks for playing along."
"My pleasure." Twisting around in his arms, she placed a soft kiss on his lips. "It was fun. Mostly."
The deep rumble of his laugh made her shiver all over. "You know what else would be fun?"
"Let me think…." Susannah fluttered her lashes innocently at him. "Do your plans involve a shower, by any chance?"
"Mmmhmm. A nice hot shower." James was breathing faster already. "And afterwards…"
"Yes?" His hands found her breasts and Susannah moaned softly. "Details, please."
"I'd rather show you." With one swift, easy motion, he gathered her up in his arms and headed for the bathroom. "Dios, Lola, I love you so much."
"I love you, too." Susannah closed her eyes, leaning against his wide chest. "And I love Christmas."
This was written as a Christmas gift for my fabulous beta suilven. Thank you so much for all your help, my dear :).